CMU coach Dan MacDonald said the singles championship was the first region individual title for a Mesa tennis player since the program went to NCAA Division II status in 1992.

“It’s a great individual performance,” MacDonald said. “It’s also a great experience for this team.

“His serve was a little bit stronger in the third set and I think he just wore the guy down. He was aggressive the whole match. Jordan’s a strong left-handed power baseliner and he’s really a talented all-court player.”

Lyden said he had to keep his mind focused on the match.

“It was just crazy,” Lyden said. “I knew what I had to do and I had to go out and execute. I think the biggest thing was just knowing that I could win, and telling myself that I could win.

“I try not to look too far ahead, but their were a couple times during the match that I had to stop myself from thinking about winning the regional. It’s hard not to think, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to nationals.’ It didn’t really sink in until a couple hours after the match.”

Lyden will represent CMU at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships from Oct. 10-13 in Fort Myers, Fla.